A record number of truancy fines was issued in 2012/13, according to new figures released today.
The figures show that 52,370 penalty notices were issued in 2012 to 2013, up from 41,224 the previous year.
Separate figures also show that the number of children ‘persistently absent’ from school has dropped by nearly a third since the introduction of new powers to improve attendance.
The figures show 300,895 pupils were persistently absent in 2012-13, down from 433,130 in 2009-10. There were also 7.7 million fewer school days lost to overall absence, with 130,000 fewer pupils missing 15% of school.
New measures introduced by the Government to tackle poor attendance included increasing fines for truancy and cutting the time for paying penalties.
Education secretary, Michael Gove, said: ‘There is no excuse for skipping school. We have taken action to reduce absence by increasing fines and encouraging schools to address the problem earlier.
‘Today’s figures show we are making progress, with 130,000 fewer pupils regularly missing school under this government.’
